Thread oiling apparatus



Jan. 30, 1951 F. V. HOFFECKER THREAD OILING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 14, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l 52% kl? 40 L Fig 4 3- F rank V. Haffec/rer INVENTOR.

40 A BY WW Em Jan. 30, 1951 Filed Sept; 14, 1949 F. V. HOFFECKER THREAD OILING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F ran/r V. Hoffec/rer INVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES FFICE THREAD OI'LING APPARATUS Frank V. Hoffecker, Burlington, N. Application September 14, 1949, Serial No. 115,707

Another object of the device is to assure constant, uniform supply of oil to the threads.

A further object is to provide means of changing tension on the threads as they are oiled and as they pass from the oil tube into the knitting machine.

A yet further object of the present invention is an oil tube in which a novel arrangement of felt wicks may be emplaced so as to absorb the oil or other liquid or solvent employed in softening threads.

Yet another object of the device is to provide novel means for guiding threads into contact with felt wicks adapted to impart a liquid to the threads These, together with the various ancillary objects of the present invention as will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this oil tube, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated in the accompany ing drawings, wherein;

Figure 1 is a front elevational view' of the oil tube in position on a full-fashioned knitting machine;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view showing the relationship of the oil tube to the other component parts of the knitting machine;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view as taken along line 33 in Figure l;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view as taken along line 3- 1 in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the various elements of the invention;

Figure 6 is a sectional view of one manner of connecting sections of the oil tube together;

Figure 7 is a sectional view illustrating another way of securing the sections of the oil tube together; and

Figure 8 is an end elevational view showing the valve used in draining the oil tube.

With continued reference t the accompanying drawings wherein like characters designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference numeral Ill generally designates a full-fashioned knitting machine upon which the oil tube i2 comprising the present invention is used. The oil '3 Claims. (Cl; 91-38) of these cuts, a cross cut 24 is made.

"3 M tube is held in place between pairs of parallel arms M and is extending from the gallows iii of a knitting machine. By means of set screws 26 the oil tube is firmly seated and held in position. At each knitting section, the top of the tube i2 is cut longitudinally and at the end of each The two pieces of metal 26 and 23 thus freed are bent into an upright position forming vertical surfaces and thus dividing the tube into integral alternate tubular sections 30 and channel sections 32.

Any number of holes M as desired in the channel legs 26 and 25 of the channel sections 32 may be drilled, and eyelets 36 are inserted therein to form guide surfaces. The tube is capped at one end as at 33 by a suitable side wall which has a female threaded aperture til therein. There is a valve 4i attached to a side wall capping the tube for use in draining and cleaning the tube. An inverted jar 52 and tank M. is coupled to the tube by means of a flexible hose es in threaded engagement within the aperture 59. The jar is filled with a suitable lubricant, dye, or other fluid and maintains a constant level of fiuid in the tube in order to provide uniform lubrication to the threads.

A pair of holes 48 are drilled in the upper sur face of each tubular section 33 adjacent the channel sections 32. A substantially elongated U- shaped retainer 50 is provided with oifset portions 52 in each of the parallel legs adapted to fit between the walls 26 and 28in the channel section 32. The retainers are preferably made of spring steel or other suitable material and are secured to the tube by sheet metal screws 5 engaged within the apertures 48 and causing Washers 55 to press the ends of the retainer 58 against the tube [2.

Between the opposed legs of the retainer are inserted suitable Wicks 58 of felt or other desired material. The wick will absorb the fluid 60 in the tube and by capillary action transfer a part of the fluid to its upper contacting surface 52. Thread from the bobbin 6s and designated by reference numeral is passed through eyelet 36 in wall 28, then over contacting surface 52 of a wick 58 and out of eyelet 35 in wall 26, thence to the ring and to other portions of the fullfashioned knitting machine I 0. Thus one oil tube may provide lubrication for as many threads as are needed. It is a particularly important feature of the invention that the threadis securely guided over the wick by being passed through the aligned eyelets 36.

The tube is made in lengths that can be easily. handled and these lengths are coupled together when positioned at the machine by a metal coupling as is shown in Figure 6 which may have internal annular grooves in which projections 12 on each of the lengths may be seated. As shown in Figure 7 an alternate means of coupling the lengths together may include a flexible tube" 14. By raising or lowering the wicks 58, the tension on the threads as they are oiled may be readily controlled.

Since from the foregoing, the construction and advantages of this oil tube for lubricating knitting threads is readily apparent, further description is believed to be unnecessary.

However, since numerous modifications will readily occur to, those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is not intended to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, but all suitable modifica-' tions and equivalents of the oil tube may be re" means securing said retainer to said tubular sections.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said retainer has an offset portion adapted to fit within said channel portion.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein said wicks are made of felt and are of rectangular shape.

4. The structure of claim 3 including end walls attached to each end of said tube, a valve in one of said end walls, the other end wall having a female threaded aperture therethrough.

5. The structure of claim 4 including fluid supply means connected to said female threaded aperture.

6. An oil tube for lubricating knitting thread comprising spaced alternate tubular and channel portions, the channel portions having parallel extending legs, a plurality of apertures in one leg in alignment with a plurality of apertures in the other leg, insert eyelets in said apertures, an elongated retainer secured to said tubular sections, said retainer having an offset portion adapted to fit within said channel portion, and.- wicks carried by said retainer positioned between the aligned apertures.

7. An oil tube for lubricating knitting thread comprising spaced alternate tubular and channel portions, the channel portions having upwardly extending legs, an elongated U-shaped retainer, a plurality of wicks carried by said retainer, means securing said retainer to said tubular sections, and

guide means for said knitting thread in said legs, 4

said guide means being in alignment with said wicks.

FRANK V. HOFFECKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 918,776 Scholler Apr. 20, 1909 1,240,625 Taylor Sept. 18, 1917 1,651,167 Van Alstyne, et a1. Nov. 29, 1927 1,724,230 Struve Aug. 13, 1929 2,019,201 Strazalkowski, et al. Oct. 29, 1935 2,221,293 Amon Nov. 12, 1940 2,432,404 Galatioto Dec. 9, 194,7 

